By Marilyn McConahay
Record Herald Writer
Courtesy of the Weekly Record Herald; Printed in the July 1, 2011 Edition
Milton-Union School District faces the same problems most Ohio schools are facing in the current economically stressed times, including significant reductions in state funding. To keep up with current standards, the School Board at its June 27 meeting, took the first step in the process of placing renewal of an existing 17-mill, five year operating tax levy on the November ballot.
The board approved with a 5-0 vote a resolution that declares the levy a necessity and requests the Montgomery County Auditors’ office to certify the total tax evaluation of the district and the dollar amount of revenue that would be generated by the number of mills specified.
The resolution allows the board to forward the request to the auditor’s office. The board’s intent is to place the levy renewal on the Nov. 8 ballot. If approved by the voters, the levy will be placed on the 2012 tax list and duplicates, for the first collection in 2013.
Prior to the vote, West Milton resident Raymond Landis addressed the council during visitors’ comments, asking if they had considered asking for fewer mills. He quoted the amount of the beginning cash balance projected for each year from 2011 to 2015.
“Has the board done its due diligence that is necessary?” he then asked. “Has it considered asking for less than 17 mills? Has the board determined if the larger cash balances are necessary? Has the board considered six or eight or 10 mills? Has the board considered asking for substantially less? Where is the financial responsibility of the Board of taking money from the public?”
Treasurer Charles Klein and Board Member Larry Dehus addressed Landis’ concerns and explained the need for the 17-mill operating levy during the discussion prior to the vote on the resolution.
“If we didn’t collect 17 mills, we would run out of money in July of 2013 instead of July of 2015,” Klein said. “We cut $1 million in the past year, and half a million this year.”
Dehus explained that during the last two or three years the administration has been taking many measures to cut back on spending.
“They’ve been doing everything possible, like making agreements with employees to freeze pay and step increases and to pay more of their insurance,” Dehus said. “It has allowed us to carry on. We would have been in the negative by 2012.”
He explained this levy is a renewal necessary for continuing operating expenses and said the board is trying to continue operating on the renewal amount.
“To show plus figures for the next six years, that is a lot responsibility. We’ve got to everything we can to avoid asking taxpayers for more money.” Dehus said.
Board Member Chris Long emphasized that school districts won’t be seeing much more money from the state.
“There’s nothing very positive for public education,” he said. “One good thing for us is that now we are rated Excellent on the State Report Card, we get $17 per student, and we have 1,600 students.”
Dehus updated the board on progress at the new 217,000 square-foot, K-12 school complex now under construction.
“The project as a whole is running about 15 days behind,” he said. “We expect to see more manpower to catch up,” Dehus said.
In November of 2008, district voters approved an earned income tax that supports the community’s 44 percent of this Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) project. The new facility is being constructed along Milton-Potsdam Road on land bequeathed to the district by Nellie Lowry.
The new complex is expected to be completed for the August opening of the 20112-13 school year.
Earlier in the meeting, Superintendent Ginny Rammel announced she had just received results regarding the Ohio Report Card from the Ohio Department of Education.
“Great news – we are now rated as ‘Excellent,’” she said.
The district had been rated as “Continuous Improvement” on the Report Card standards.
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